Support a Referendum to overturn a proposed Salary Ordinance in Trenton, New Jersey

PLEASE! Registered Trenton, NJ Voters ONLY. We appreciate the support of those outside the City, but any petition circulated will be only for registered Trenton voters. Thank you!

On September 15, 2016, Trenton's City Council is scheduled to debate, and probably approve, an Ordinance that will set salary ranges for the City's Mayor, Business Administrator, Chief of Staff, City Judges, Departmental Directors and Division Heads. The Administration has announced that from those salary ranges, they will set salaries granting raises totaling over 15% over 3 years.

If City Council passes this Ordinance on September 15, we commit ourselves to sign and circulate a petition, between September 16 and October 5, in order to overturn it by asking City Council to repeal the bill, or to put the matter to the voters of Trenton.

We believe this Ordinance to be a bad idea, for several reasons. The City's budget and economy are still shaky. There is no current-year budget, so the impact of this proposal cannot be calculated. The Governor has, at least temporarily, impounded the annual Transitional Aid program, causing a potential $20 Million hole in the City's budget. We simply can't afford 15% raises over the next three years.

But most importantly, we believe a 15% raise is not appropriate for officials who, over the last two years, have made decisions and taken actions that have cost the city Millions of Dollars.

Examples:

Hiring an Information Technology services firm costing hundreds of thousands of dollars per year more than 9 other competitors who wanted the City's business;

Mishandling the management of the City's public swimming pools this summer, leading to unnecessary closures, and tens of thousands in additional costs;

Being labeled by the US Department of Justice as a "high-risk grantee of Federal Funds;" and, finally,

Allowing the city's payroll vendor to steal nearly $5 Million in tax deposit money over almost a year, while receiving multiple warnings from the US and State governments of serious problems.

We have no disagreement with the principle of awarding nominal, and affordable Cost-of-Living-Adjustments (COLA's), but strongly oppose merit raises of 15% for those who are responsible for these failures.

Share this petition

Petition Closed

This petition had 178 supporters

Support a Referendum to overturn a proposed Salary Ordinance in Trenton, New Jersey